Grilling: Mexican Chorizo

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As an avid fan of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, Mexican chorizo is one of the most used sausages in my kitchen, which is why it's surprising that it's taken me this long to make it myself at home.

Referring to chorizo alone can be a cause for confusion; different countries produce very distinct varieties of chorizo. The two main types you're likely to come across are Spanish and Mexican. While Spanish chorizo is a dried pork sausage seasoned heavily with either hot or sweet paprika, the Mexican version is a fresh pork sausage seasoned with ground chilies and often complemented with additional herbs and spices, like oregano, cinnamon, and cumin, among others. There's also a green variety that can be found in Mexico, but more on that in a couple weeks.

Many Mexican chorizo recipes will include a mix of paprika and ground chilies, but I like mine on the hotter side, so this one skips the mild paprika and goes all in with a ton of ancho chile powder—a medium-spicy powder made of dried poblano chilies. To that, I added salt, garlic, oregano, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, cloves, and cider vinegar.

This mixture had the power to stain everything it came into contact with a messy dark red, but that immense amount of seasoning also made it wildly delicious—juicy and spicy with an earthy quality that ensured every single bite was a powerhouse of flavor.

Though I did stuff this chorizo into casings and grill them, my most common uses—in tacos, quesadillas, stuffed peppers—serve it loose, so don't let the stuffing or grilling part be a barrier between you and this awesome homemade sausage.

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